Sunday, November 25, 2012

Today the 25th November 2012 is STIR UP SUNDAY. Stir Up Sunday is also known as Christmas Pudding Sunday. Stir Up Sunday falls on the last Sunday before Advent. Advent begins 4 Sundays before Christmas.

Christmas Puddings were traditionally always made on Stir-up Sunday which is the last Sunday before Advent begins.

The Christmas Pudding is traditionally made with 13 ingredients representing Jesus Christ and his 12 Disciples. The Christmas pudding is stirred from East to West in honour of the 3 wise men who came from the east to visit the Savoiur child

Every member of the family gives the pudding a stir and makes a wish. A coin, a ring or a thimble are sometime added to the pudding mixture. The coin and thimble supposedledly brings luck and wealth to the person who gets it in his / her piece of the pudding on Christmas day, and the finger ring would foretell a wedding to the person who gets it.

So get your ingredients ready and everyone join in to stir up the Christmas Pudding .

An easy recipe is given below

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

200 grams fresh bread crumbs

200 grams butter

2 teaspoons instant coffee (Nescafe or Bru)

2 teaspoons golden or date syrup

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs beaten well

¼ cup rum

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

100 grams raisins

100 grams chopped sultanas

100 grams mixed peel

½ teaspoon salt

100 grams sugar

Cream the butter and sugar together then add the eggs and mix well.

Gradually add all the other ingredients and mix well.

Grease a Pudding Mould or any suitable bowl with butter and pour the pudding mixture into it.

Steam the pudding for about 1 hour on low heat till it is firm to touch

Note:This pudding can be made in advance and refrigerated till required. Steam for 10 minute or microwave for 3 minutes before serving.

For a more exotic taste, when still warm make a few small holes all over the pudding and pour about 6 tablespoons of rum over it.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

In the olden days, cooking would take up practically the whole day since everything had to be prepared from scratch. The masalas had to be ground manually on a grinding stone and the food cooked over firewood.

The grinding stone was an indispensable appendage in every home in the olden days. It was used on a regular basis to grind the masalas or curry stuff required for the daily cooking, The grinding stone consisted of a flat granite stone about two feet in length and one foot breadth. The wet or dry ingredients were placed on this stone and another stone about 10 inches in length that was shaped like a roller or cylinder was used to grind the masalas in an up and down direction. This grinding stone was known as “Ammi Kal” in Tamil.

The top of the grinding stone had to be rough and coarse so that the masalas could be ground easily to a smooth texture. However, due to continuous grinding, the grinding stone would become smooth, and it would take longer to grind the ingredients to the required consistency. This was when the ‘Grinding Stone Tapper’ was called in to tap the grinding stone to make it rough again.

The grinding stone tapper would use a small chisel and hammer to first make small pits in a star design in the centre of the grinding stone and then continue tapping the stone with his chisel and hammer around this design till the whole surface of the grinding stone was covered with small pits very close together. He repeated the same procedure with the top stone as well. The Grinding Stone Man had his own peculiar way of calling out ‘Ammi Kalu. Ammi Kalu’to let people know that he was coming around.

Some houses had yet another type of grinding stone which was used to grind wet masalas and batter for Idlis and Dosas, or rice pancakes. This grinding stone was shaped like a small barrel with a hole in the centre. The dry masalas or the soaked rice and dhal with a little water, was put into this hole and was ground to a smooth batter with another cylindrical shaped stone in a rotary movement. When these grinding stones became smooth, the Ammi Kallu man would tap this stone as well to make it coarse again.

This type of grinding stone was known as ‘Rubbu Kal’ in Tamil which meant ‘to rotate’.

Using this type of grinding stone was actually a sort of exercise and it ensured a daily work out for the grinder as the hands and upper body of the person doing the grinding was fully exercised!

This old concept of the ‘Rubbu Kal’ is used in the modern day electric grinders.

Every house also had its own pestle and mortar of undressed granite which was used for pounding small quantities of dry spices. The action of pounding the spices and making them into a smooth powder was quite therapeutic and exciting at the same time.

Man has come a long way from the Stone Age. But its so amazing to think that we have come to adapt and innovate the most primitive of man’s tools for survival and use them to make our lives easier today amongst modern inventions and technology.

Now with all the ready-made masalas and mixes available in the market and the modern and time saving gadgets, cooking has become so much easier and faster. The old grinding stones have now been replaced by Mixers / Blenders and Grinders

About Me

I hail from Kolar Gold Fields, a small mining town in Karnataka India. I worked in Canara Bank for 23 years then took early retirement a few years ago. I now work as a freelance author and Consultant on food related matters. I've conducted cooking Workshops at the Bangalore Club, Taj Conemara Chennai, The Taj West End Bangalore, Bow barracks Bangalore, etc, besides conducting Cooking Demos and Food festivals at various places.
I've authored 7 Cookery books specializing in Anglo-Indian Cuisine. The recipes in my books are very simple and easy to follow and only easily available ingredients are made use of. Please visit http://anglo-indianfood.blogspot.com http://angloindianfood.wordpress.com
In addition to writing these Recipe Books, I've recently brought out a book on Kolar Gold Fields entitled KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE - Paeans to lost glory!!. TO RECALL GLORIOUS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF KGF please visit http://memoriesofkgf.blogspot.com

Bridget White-Kumar Cookery Book Author and Food Consultant

BRIDGET WHITE-KUMAR – AUTHOR AND FOOD CONSULTANTBridget White-Kumar is a Cookery Book Author and Food Consultant. She has authored 7 Recipe books on Anglo-Indian Cuisine. Her area of expertise is in Colonial Anglo-Indian Food and she has gone through a lot of effort in reviving the old forgotten dishes of the Colonial British Raj Era.Her 7 Recipe books are a means of preserving for posterity, the very authentic tastes and flavours of Colonial India, besides recording for future generations, the unique heritage of the pioneers of Anglo-Indian Cuisine.Bridget is also an Independent Freelance Consultant on Food Related matters. She has assisted many Restaurants, Hotels and Clubs in Bangalore and elsewhere with her knowledge of Colonial Anglo-Indian Food besides helping them to revamp and reinvent their Continental Menus by introducing new dishes which are a combination of both Continental and Anglo-Indian. Many of them are now following the Recipes and guidance given by her and the dishes are enjoyed both by Indian and Foreign Guests.Bridget also conducts Cooking Demonstrations and Workshops at various places such as Clubs, Restaurants, Women’s Groups, Corporate Offices, etc. She is always ready to share and talk about Recipes and Food.She can be contacted on +919845571254 or email bridgetkumar@yahoo.com

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE – A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE – A LEGACY OF FLAVOURS FROM THE PAST is a comprehensive and unique collection of easy- to- follow Recipes of popular and well loved Anglo-Indian dishes. The repertoire is rich and vast, ranging from the outright European Cutlets, Croquettes, pasties, roasts, etc, to mouth watering Curries, Side dishes, Spicy Fries, Foogaths, Biryani and Palaus, Pickles, Chutneys etc, picking up plenty of hybrids along the way. The very names of old time favorite dishes such as Yellow Coconut Rice and Mince Ball (Kofta) Curry, Pepper water, Mulligatawny Soup, Grandma’s Country Captain Chicken, Railway Mutton Curry, Dak Bungalow Curry, Crumb Chops, Ding Ding, Stews, Duck Buffat, Almorth, etc, which were so popular during the Raj Era are sure to bring back nostalgic and happy memories. These popular Anglo-Indian dishes will take you on an exotic nostalgic journey to Culinary Paradise.

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A COLLECTION OF ANGLO-INDIAN ROASTS, CASSEROLES & BAKES

A COLLECTION OF ANGLO-INDIAN ROASTS, CASSEROLES AND BAKES is a practical and easy guide to delectable cooking. The clear step-by-step instructions describe the preparation of a variety of easy to prepare Anglo-Indian Roasts, Casseroles and Bakes such as Shepherd’s Pie, Washerman’s Pie, Roast Chicken, Macaroni and Mince, etc. A few Vegetarian Bakes and casserole dishes are also featured.

ANGLO-INDIAN DELICACIES

ANGLO-INDIAN DELICACIES is a collection of Recipes of popular vintage and contemporary Cuisine of Colonial India. Old favourites such as Pork Bhooni, Devil Pork Curry, Calcutta Cutlets, Fish Kedegeree, Double Onions Meat Curry, Camp Soup, Bengal Lancers Shrimp Curry, Boiled Mutton chops, etc have been given a new lease of life. The recipes are simple and extremely easy to follow. The very names of the dishes will surely bring back nostalgic memories of by gone days to many. As with the earlier books, it will make a useful addition to a personal Anglo-Indian Recipe Collecti

THE ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE HAMPER

THE ANGLO-INDIAN FESTIVE HAMPER is a collection of popular Anglo-Indian festive treats, such as Cakes, Sweets, Christmas goodies, Puddings, Sandwiches, Preserves, Home-made Wines, etc, etc. The repertoire is rich and quite vast and takes you on a sentimental and nostalgic trip of old forgotten delicacies. These mouth watering concoctions are a mix of both ‘European’ and ‘Indian’, thus making it a veritable “Anglo-Indian” Festive Hamper. The easy-to-follow directions make the preparation of these old, popular, mouth watering goodies, simple, enjoyable and problem-free.

THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX

THE ANGLO-INDIAN SNACK BOX is a collection of simple and easy to follow recipes of tasty snacks, short eats, nibbles and finger food. The repertoire covers a variety of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian snacks which includes savouries, sandwiches,wraps, rolls, pastries, sweets etc and can easily be prepared from ingredients commonly available at home.

VEGETARIAN DELICACIES

VEGETARIAN DELICACIES is a collection of simple and easy recipes of delectable Vegetarian Dishes. The repertoire is rich and vast, ranging from simple Soups and Salads, to mouth watering Curries, Rice dishes, Baked Dishes and popular Accompaniments. The easy-to-follow directions make cooking these dishes simple, enjoyable and problem-free.

SIMPLE EGG DELICACIES

SIMPLE EGG DELICACIES

‘SIMPLE EGGDELICACIES’is a collection of simple and easy recipes of delectable Egg Dishes forBreakfast, Lunch and Dinner and for all other times as well. The selection covers a wide selection ofBreakfast Egg Dishes, Mouth watering Curries, Egg Salads, Tasty Tea Time Snacksand Treats, Sandwiches, Casseroles and Baked Dishes. In addition to the recipes, ‘Some handy hints on how to store and preserve Eggs’, ‘A few Quick Serving ideas using Eggs’, besides someuseful tips and tricks on how to prepare a variety of fluffy and soft Omelettes and the names and description of the various Egg Dishes are also given.I decided to bring out a Recipe Book on exclusive Egg Recipes since I found thatmany people who are vegetarians do include Eggs in their diet. This Book ‘SIMPLE EGG DELICACIES’ is a realtreasure for ‘Eggetarians’ as there are recipes for a variety of egg dishesunder different categories. The recipes are mostly Anglo-Indian but I've alsoincluded some tasty Indian Egg curries and some universal all time favouritessuch as Eggs Benedict, Egg Florentine, One Eyed Jack, Coddled Eggs, ShirredEggs, Egg Frittata, Egg Quiche, Egg Custard, Eggs Mornay, Egg and SausageCasserole, Scotch Eggs, Devilled Eggs, the Classic Egg Salad, French Toast Casserole, etc. The recipes are veryeasy to follow and only easily available ingredients are made use of.Priceper Book: India : Rs.130.00, Australia:A$10.00, UAE: Rs 300.00, Canada C$10.00, UK: GBP 5.00, USA: $10.00To buy a copycontact Bridget Kumar on :+919845571254or 08025504137. Email bridgetkumar@yahoo.com

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Anglo-Indian Hot Chops

Anglo-Indian Mince Cutlets

ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE

Due to the influences of various factors, Anglo-Indian Cuisine, which is a gourmet’s delight, is slowly getting extinct. In these days of fast foods and instant mixes, many people do not find the time to cook even a simple meal everyday, leave alone the old traditional dishes while many others do not know how to prepare them. In a world fast turning into a Global Village, with many migrating away from India and the younger generation not showing interest in the old traditional food, it has therefore become imperative to preserve those very authentic tastes and flavours and record for future generations the unique heritage of the pioneers of this cuisine. This Collection of Recipes is therefore compiled with the intention of reviving and preserving the old tastes of the Colonial Era, thereby preserving its culinary heritage. Many of the dishes featured here were prepared by the older generation and are now almost forgotten. This is just my small attempt to preserve the culinary heritage of our community for posterity